Charles Babbage Biography

Charles Babbage was an English inventor and mathematician whose
mathematical machines were based on ideas that were later put to use in
modern computers. Indeed, Babbage is sometimes even called the inventor of
the computer. He was also a pioneer in the scientific understanding of
manufacturing processes.

A bright, curious child

Charles Babbage was born on December 26, 1791, in London, England. His
father, Benjamin Jr., was a banker and merchant. One of his
grandfathers, Benjamin Sr., had been mayor of Totnes, England. Babbage
was always curious—when he would receive a new toy, he would ask
his mother, Elizabeth, what was inside of it. He would then take apart
the toy to figure out how it worked. Babbage was also interested in
mathematics at a young age, and he taught himself algebra.

The Babbage family was wealthy, and Charles received much of his early
education from private tutors. In 1810 he entered Trinity College at
Cambridge University. He found that he knew more about mathematics than
did his instructors. Very unhappy with the poor state of mathematical
instruction there, Babbage helped to organize the Analytical Society,
which played a key role in reducing the uncritical following of Sir
Issac Newton (1642–1727; English scientist, mathematician, and
astronomer) at Cambridge and at Oxford University.

In 1814, the same year of Babbage's graduation from Cambridge, he
married Georgiana Whitmore. They had eight children together, but only
three lived beyond childhood. Georgiana herself died in 1827.

Mathematical engines

In 1822 Babbage produced the first model of the calculating engine,
which

Charles Babbage.
Courtesy of the

Library of Congress

.

would become the main interest of his life. The machine calculated and
printed mathematical tables. He called it a "difference
engine" after the mathematical theory upon which the
machine's operation was based. The government was interested in
his device and made a vague promise to fund his research. This
encouraged Babbage to begin building a full-scale machine.

But Babbage had underestimated the difficulties involved. Many of the
machine tools he needed to shape the wheels, gears, and cranks of the
engine did not exist. Therefore, Babbage and his craftsmen had to design
the tools themselves. The resulting delays worried the government, and
the funding was held back.

Meanwhile, the idea for a far grander engine had entered
Babbage's ever-active mind: the "analytical
engine." This machine would be able to perform any mathematical
operation according to a series of instructions given to the machine.
Babbage asked the government for a decision on which engine to finish.
After an eight-year pause for thought, the government decided that it
wanted neither.

Other interests

Babbage managed to squeeze in an incredible variety of activities
between dealing with the government and working on his engines. In
addition to other subjects, he wrote several articles on mathematics,
the decline of science in England, the rationalization of manufacturing
processes, religion, archeology, tool design, and submarine navigation.
He helped found the Astronomical Society, which later became the Royal
Astronomical Society, as well as other organizations. He was Lucasian
professor of mathematics at Cambridge for ten years. He was better
known, though, for his seemingly endless campaign against organ-grinders
(people who produce music by cranking a hand organ) on the streets of
London.

He always returned to his great engines—but none were ever
finished. He died on October 18, 1871, having played a major part in the
nineteenth-century rebirth of British science.

For More Information

Campbell, Kelley Martin, ed.
The Works of Charles Babbage.
New York: New York University Press, 1988.